Many sports and other activities present a significant risk of concussion. When one receives a blow to the head which has sufficient force and associated acceleration, these forces can be transmitted to the brain and adjacent cranial structures with sufficient magnitude to result in trauma, including bleeding and potentially other damage. It is known to utilize a helmet worn by an individual so that when blows to the head are received, forces associated with the blow are absorbed somewhat by the helmet. However, the wearing of helmets has not been entirely effective in stopping or even significantly reducing the occurrence of concussions and related traumatic brain injuries (as well as neck injuries).
For instance, when playing football, all of the players wear a helmet which covers the head and includes significant padding and other absorbing layers inside a hard outer shell. In spite of the wearing of such helmets, concussions still occur and are a significant problem. In amateur boxing, while headgear including padding was previously required, evidence has been increasingly showing no benefit to such padding, and even to some extent potential for increased harm. Thus for instance, in the 2016 Olympics the boxing events took place without any headgear being utilized.
Accordingly, a need exists for improved head protection, such as helmet systems which are more effective in mitigating the forces transmitted to cranial structures of a wearer when an impact is sustained.